ABSTRACT

Detailed investigation of linear shelf sand ridges located off the southwest coast of Florida shows them to be tide-dominated sand bodies. These ridges are remarkably similar to the large sand ridges of the North Sea, and they have abundant apparent analogs in the stratigraphic record, many of which are important petroleum producers. The Florida ridges are asymmetric in profile, about 10 km long, 1 km wide, with relief of 3-4 m with the adjacent sea bed. Extensive tidal current monitoring, sediment distribution patterns and side scan sonar surveys permit characterizing their morphodynamics. Tidal currents show distinct bidirectional patterns with speeds up to 70 cm/s. There is slight flood-dominance, and currents show much higher velocities in the troughs as compared to the crests of he ridges. Megaripples and sand waves are widespread and migrate obliquely across the ridges at opposite directions on the gentle and steep sides of the ridge.

Shallow, high-resolution seismic data and 39 vibracores in the area of the ridges show a consistent sequence characterized by three ascending Holocene lithofacies: 1) muddy quartz sand with limestone clasts; 2) bioturbated muddy shelly quartz sand; and 3) well-sorted, cross-stratified quartz sand that characterizes the sand ridges themselves. Each of the tidal sand ridges displays a coarsening-upward sequence of fine, well-sorted sand. Small-scale, multidirectional, cross stratification dominates the stratigraphy of the cores in this facies, but megaripple(?) cross stratification is also present.

All data indicate that these tidal ridges are good modern analogs for many of the shelf sand bodies in the ancient record, especially the Mesozoic of the mid-continent area.